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Today β€” 20 February 2026TechSpot

The Trump administration wants Silicon Valley to fix federal tech

βœ‡TechSpot
19 February 2026 at 22:32

Tech Force – spearheaded by the Office of Personnel Management and led by Scott Kupor, a former Andreessen Horowitz venture capitalist – has secured partnerships across the tech industry. Apple, Coinbase, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI, xAI, and Palantir have all agreed to participate, providing executives and training resources to support...

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Yesterday β€” 19 February 2026TechSpot

Harmful chemicals found in dozens of popular headphones

βœ‡TechSpot
19 February 2026 at 15:58

According to The Guardian, the TOX-Free Project tested 81 pairs of in-ear and over-ear headphones available from Shein, Temu, and retailers in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, and Austria. Of the samples tested, 98% contained bisphenol A and more than three-quarters contained its substitute, bisphenol S.

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Judge warns smart glasses wearers of contempt charges as Zuckerberg testifies in Meta trial

βœ‡TechSpot
19 February 2026 at 15:15

The case, K.G.M. v. Meta et al., involves a 20-year-old Californian identified as Kaley who claims that years of using Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat as a child led to body dysmorphia, depression, and self-destructive thoughts. TikTok and Snap Inc., Snapchat's parent company, have already settled in the case...

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The hidden risk of driving a car that runs on someone else's code

βœ‡TechSpot
19 February 2026 at 00:06

The value of a modern vehicle no longer lies primarily in mechanical reliability but in software continuity. Increasingly, the difference between "runs" and "doesn't run" depends on whether a remote authentication system or over-the-air patch remains active. From entry-level hatchbacks with app-based keyless entry to luxury EVs with cloud-connected diagnostics,...

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Before yesterdayTechSpot

Perplexity walks away from ads to differentiate from OpenAI and Google

βœ‡TechSpot
18 February 2026 at 21:55

The company quietly phased out sponsored content late last year, ending an experiment that began in 2024 when labeled promotions occasionally appeared beneath chatbot responses. On Tuesday, executives confirmed to the Financial Times that Perplexity would not pursue advertising further, citing trust and accuracy as the cornerstones of its business.

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Ford's upcoming $30,000 EV truck leans on efficiency instead of a massive battery pack

βœ‡TechSpot
18 February 2026 at 20:17

In a technical briefing that included Car and Driver, Ford's advanced EV group detailed how the platform abandons compromises inherited from internal-combustion vehicles in favor of a tightly integrated set of technologies: structural lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery packs, a 48-volt zonal electrical system, in-house power electronics, large unicastings, and...

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Meta signs major Nvidia deal to power AI data centers with Blackwell and Rubin GPUs

βœ‡TechSpot
18 February 2026 at 19:42

According to separate press releases from Meta and Nvidia, the social media giant will use the chips to power its planned hyperscale data centers optimized for AI training and inference. The company will also deploy Nvidia's new Spectrum-X Ethernet switches as part of the Facebook Open Switching System (FBOSS) software...

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New ISO standard enables battery-free RFID sensors to stream continuous data

βœ‡TechSpot
18 February 2026 at 18:38

Four Japanese organizations have developed a new technology for managing RFID wireless communications without resorting to additional power sources. The ISO/IEC 18000-65 standard, which is based on the previously approved ISO/IEC 18000-63 standard, establishes a solution for item management and identification through radio frequency.

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Amazon quietly cancels Blue Jay warehouse robot months after debut

βœ‡TechSpot
18 February 2026 at 17:29

The discontinuation marks a major course correction in Amazon's robotics strategy – and underscores the persistent gap between AI's rapid progress in software and its slower, costlier translation into the physical world. Blue Jay, introduced in October 2025, represented Amazon's fastest-developed warehouse robot to date, leveraging advances in artificial intelligence...

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TeamSpeak sees massive surge as frustrated Discord users jump ship

βœ‡TechSpot
18 February 2026 at 02:04

TeamSpeak is suddenly back in the spotlight after a wave of users fled Discord over its new age-verification rollout. The voice-chat veteran says demand has spiked so hard that hosting capacity is maxed out in several regions as newcomers pile in looking for a simpler, more private alternative. Download TeamSpeak Classic or TeamSpeak 6 Beta here.



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SlimeVR's new trackers ditch cameras for affordable and lightweight full-body motion capture

βœ‡TechSpot
17 February 2026 at 17:34

The Butterfly Trackers operate on inertial measurement units, translating small changes in orientation and acceleration into precise movement data. Unlike optical tracking systems, which depend on cameras and line-of-sight calibration, these sensors function entirely on their own readings, allowing for unrestricted 360-degree positioning.

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Memory shortages could delay PlayStation 6 launch until 2029, raise Switch 2 price

βœ‡TechSpot
16 February 2026 at 18:16

Multiple analysts and industry insiders have recently claimed that the next-generation PlayStation console could be delayed due to the AI-fueled memory crisis. Bloomberg has now reiterated the rumors, claiming that Sony is unlikely to release the PlayStation 6 next year, even though the next-gen Xbox is still said to be...

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Europe is coming after infinite scroll – TikTok's endless feed is now a legal problem

βœ‡TechSpot
15 February 2026 at 20:02

The Commission's preliminary ruling identifies TikTok's endless feed, algorithmic recommendations, and lack of built-in usage limits as central to the problem. Officials say the company may be required to disable its infinite scroll, introduce stricter screen-time interventions, and adjust how its recommendation systems deliver content.

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Samsung readies LPCAMM2 LPDDR5X modules with up to 96GB and 9600 MT/s

βœ‡TechSpot
14 February 2026 at 20:44

The LPCAMM2 design is part of an ongoing effort to replace soldered LPDDR in mobile and ultra-thin systems with memory that is both upgradeable and space-efficient. It builds on first-generation LPCAMM2 modules, which typically shipped with LPDDR5 memory. The new LPDDR5X variant continues that evolution, delivering higher efficiency and faster...

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Corsair redesigns DDR5 packaging to combat rising RAM scams

βœ‡TechSpot
14 February 2026 at 19:28

Earlier this month, Corsair rolled out a new packaging design for select DDR5 products. The shift reflects a market under strain: chipmakers are posting record revenues, while downstream customers are grappling with shortages, inflated prices, and a surge in fraudulent sales. Improving security and "transparency" around what's actually in the...

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Unreal Tournament 2004 is back – and it's free, with Epic's official blessing

βœ‡TechSpot
14 February 2026 at 02:46

One of PC gaming's greatest shooters has been given a free second life. Unreal Tournament 2004 is now available at no cost with Epic Games' blessing. The community-led revival preserves everything that made UT2004 a multiplayer legend: lightning-fast gunplay, large vehicle-filled maps, and deep mod support, while adding support for modern operating systems.



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Brain-inspired chip is helping robots to see faster and in real time

βœ‡TechSpot
14 February 2026 at 02:05

The breakthrough builds on neuromorphic engineering, a field that designs hardware modeled after the human brain. Unlike traditional processors, which separate memory and computation, neuromorphic chips integrate both functions, enabling faster and more energy-efficient data handling. This biologically inspired approach has long been considered a promising way to narrow the...

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Sony has an idea to make 300GB game installs less painful

βœ‡TechSpot
13 February 2026 at 22:37

A newly unveiled patent confirms Sony's commitment to making extra-large video games far more manageable in size. The patent, recently added to the World Intellectual Property Organization's database, describes an "asset streaming" technology that relies heavily on internet connectivity, but Sony emphasizes that this is not related to cloud gaming...

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Researchers turn Edison's 1879 light bulb into a mini graphene reactor

βœ‡TechSpot
13 February 2026 at 21:54

Graphene is a two-dimensional lattice of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal pattern, renowned for its exceptional electrical conductivity, thermal transport, and mechanical strength. Turbostratic graphene is a stacked variant in which the layers are rotated and misaligned, weakening interlayer coupling and making the material easier to process at scale.

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Automakers lose emissions credits for start-stop technology under new EPA rules

βœ‡TechSpot
13 February 2026 at 18:22

Start-stop is a relatively small feature with a dense engineering stack behind it. Modern systems tie together the engine control unit, starter-alternator hardware, beefed-up 12-volt or dual-battery architectures, and climate-control logic to shut the engine off during idle while keeping steering assist, brake boosting, and cabin comfort online.

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AMD moves closer to open-source firmware with openSIL test, set to replace AGESA

βœ‡TechSpot
13 February 2026 at 00:14

This early implementation is purely experimental. 3mdeb describes it as a proof of concept rather than a stable release, noting that it's not suitable for production systems. Yet the project gives firmware developers a rare opportunity to see how AMD's next-generation silicon initialization layer operates in practice before it replaces...

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Hidden license plate readers in California are feeding a federal surveillance system

βœ‡TechSpot
12 February 2026 at 21:39

In a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, more than two dozen advocacy organizations – including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Imperial Valley Equity and Justice – urged California officials to revoke permits for the installation of these covert sensors. The groups said the devices are part of an extensive domestic...

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Stoat wins traction as users look beyond Discord

βœ‡TechSpot
12 February 2026 at 21:27

Discord's new age-verification requirements have pushed some users to explore alternative chat platforms, and Stoat is emerging as a popular option. The open-source app emphasizes privacy and strong user control. Stoat (formerly Revolt) is available on the web, Windows, macOS, and Linux, with an Android beta now rolling out.



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Apple delays Siri AI upgrades again as technical challenges mount

βœ‡TechSpot
12 February 2026 at 20:54

The delays represent the latest setback in Apple's multi-year effort to rebuild Siri's intelligence layer using Apple Foundation Models, the company's in-house large language model platform. Announced in mid-2024, the update promised a far more context-aware assistant capable of leveraging personal data and on-screen content to handle nuanced requests.

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